Bariatric Surgery Effective in Losing Weight, Resolving Health Problems

Bariatric surgery represents an effective form of weight loss for obese individuals, a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found.

Led by researchers from throughout the United States, the report found that the most obese patients who underwent either gastric bypass or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding saw significant weight loss within three years after the procedure.

The data used in the study came from the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) Consortium, a multicenter cohort study assessing the safety and effectiveness of US bariatric surgical procedures. Ages of study participants ranged from 18 to 78, and 79 percent were women. A total of 1,738 participants underwent gastric bypass surgery and 601 laparoscopic gastric banding, with a three-year follow-up uncovering a 32 percent and 16 percent median weight loss, respectively.

With these drops in weight came a parallel decrease in health issues tied to obesity, the researchers observed.

Of the gastric bypass surgical participants with obesity-related health problems before surgery, 67 percent saw a partial remission from diabetes and 38 percent remission from hypertension. For 61 percent, their high cholesterol was completely resolved.

Individuals who underwent laparoscopic adjustable banding, 28 percent experienced a partial remission from diabetes, 17 percent remission from hypertension and 27 percent a resolving of high cholesterol.

"Bariatric surgery is not a 'one size fits all' approach to weight loss," said lead author Dr. Anita Courcoulas of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Magee-Womens Hospital.

"Our study findings are the result of data collected from a multicenter patient population, and emphasize the heterogeneity in weight change and health outcomes for both types of bariatric surgery that we report. Longer-term follow-up of this carefully studied cohort will determine the durability of these improvements over time and identify the factors associated with the variability in effect."